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Cytoskeletal social networking in the growth cone: How +TIPs mediate microtubule‐actin cross‐linking to drive axon outgrowth and guidance
Author(s) -
Cammarata Garrett M.,
Bearce Elizabeth A.,
Lowery Laura Anne
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
cytoskeleton
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1949-3592
pISSN - 1949-3584
DOI - 10.1002/cm.21272
Subject(s) - growth cone , biology , microtubule , cytoskeleton , microbiology and biotechnology , axon , actin , axon guidance , cone (formal languages) , neuroscience , genetics , cell , algorithm , computer science
The growth cone is a unique structure capable of guiding axons to their proper destinations. Within the growth cone, extracellular guidance cues are interpreted and then transduced into physical changes in the actin filament (F‐actin) and microtubule cytoskeletons, providing direction and movement. While both cytoskeletal networks individually possess important growth cone‐specific functions, recent data over the past several years point towards a more cooperative role between the two systems. Facilitating this interaction between F‐actin and microtubules, microtubule plus‐end tracking proteins (+TIPs) have been shown to link the two cytoskeletons together. Evidence suggests that many +TIPs can couple microtubules to F‐actin dynamics, supporting both microtubule advance and retraction in the growth cone periphery. In addition, growing in vitro and in vivo data support a secondary role for +TIPs in which they may participate as F‐actin nucleators, thus directly influencing F‐actin dynamics and organization. This review focuses on how +TIPs may link F‐actin and microtubules together in the growth cone, and how these interactions may influence axon guidance. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.